Packaging device



Feb. 25, 1964 w. J. KEARNEY PAC'KAGING EVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 1o, 1961 W. J. KEARN EY PACKAGING DEVICE Feb. 2.5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 10, 196.1

United States rPatent nl i 3,122,3l4 PfaQKAGING DEVECE William J. Kearney, 1430 S. 11th Ave., Maywood, lll. Filed Apr. 1i), 1961, Ser. No. 102,624 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to a packaging device and, more particularly, to a device adapted to be sealed in the first instance and thereafter repeatedly opened and closed.

The problem which the instant invention solves can be most readily visualized in terms of the cartons employed by hardware stores for containing nuts, bolts, screws, etc. Such cartons or containers must be repeatedly opened and closed, ie., the top closure or llap must be opened a number of times to dispense only a portion of the contents each time. In the past, the achievement of this characteristie or advantage has been attended by a corresponding disadvantage in that the carton was inadequately or inconveniently sealed at the outset-as where it was shipped from the original manufacturer.

Manifestly, it would be desirable to have the container absolutely closed up to the time it reaches the hardware merchant to insure against accidental loss of contents, pilfering, etc. It would also be desirable to provide a container constructed so that the condition of its seal (broken or unbroken) may be determined at a glance. Heretofore, the attainment of all of these features, acontainer having a readily observable seal at the outset and an easily openable and re-closable closure element after the initialseal has been broken, has been diilicult of attainmentand the provision of a device embodying these characteristics therefore constitutes a maior objective of this invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container equipped with a closure ilap that at the outset is anchored' to the exterior of the container but subsequently may be inserted into the container as a temporary or easily openable flap or closure,

Still another object is to provide a container equipped with a top closure ilap capable of being adhesively united to the container exterior `at the outset but wherein the ad hesively anchored portion is readily detachable to pro- Vide a convenient insertable type ap.

Other objects and advantages of this invention may be seen in the details ofA construction andv operation as.

set down in this specification.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in Whichlis an elevational View of a blank which may be employed in constructing av device incorporating the teachingsof the invention;

FlG. 2 is an enlarged perspectiveview, vaar-tially broken away, of aY container device developed from the blank of PEG. 1 and shown in a condition prior to lling and closing or` sealing;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View ofthe container of FIG. 2 but with the container closed;

IFIG. 4 is ancenlarged sectional view ofthe container of as would be used along the sight line d-' of 5 is a fragmentary perspective View essentially to lli-G. 2- but inwvhichthe container has been Fr l employed for developing a modied form of container, i.e., a atter container such as an envelope; and

FG. 8 is a perspective view of an envelope type container such as would be constructed by variously folding and securing portions of the blank of FIG. 7.

In the illustration given, and with particular reference to FIG. 2, the numeral 1li designates generally a rectangular solid-shaped container wherein the front wall is designated by the numeral 11, the rear wall by the numeral 12, the parallel side Walls by the numerals 13 and 14. The bottom wall is designated by the numeral |15 and the sixth or top side of the container is closable by an outer ilap generally designated 16.

The outer 4Flap 16 is seen to be connected to the rear wall 12 as at 17, the numeral 17 also designating a -fold line in the ilap whereby the flap 16 is adapted to be folded through a degree angle to the position designated 16a in FIG. 4 and leb in FIG. 6. The ap is equippedl with an additional fold line-as by scoring, which is designated -by the numeral 18, the fold line 18 being spaced between the fold line 17 and the free edge 19 of the nap. he spacing between the parallel fold lines 17 and 1.8 corresponds essentially to the thicknessof the container 1i) and as such constitute a well known construction, permitting the ilap to be positioned against the front Wall 11.

Spaced between the fold line 1Sk and the free edge 19 is a line of weakness or potential severance 29 providedV as by perforation. in FIG. 5 this is seen to be the new free edge of the flap 16. rhe inside of the ilap 16 is. equipped with an adhesive 21 between the severance line 29 and the free edge 19. A like adhesive is provided at 22 (designated only in PEG. l) on the outside of the front wall. 1.1 so that the iiap adhesive portion 21 is matable therewith to achieve the configuration seen in FIGS. 3v and 4. This would be the condition, ile., the condition of FIGS. 3 and 4 of the package or container lil. during shipment. within the container 1li in a sealed condition. Upon arrival in the condition seen in FIGS. 3 andV 4, the user merely need insertV a fingernail or letter-opener type tool underneath the flap portion generally designated 23 in FIGS. 3 and 4, whereupon the ap portion covered by the adhesive 21 remains in Contact with the front wall 11,- the rest of the flap 16 being released and which is designated by the numeral 16a in FiG. 5.

rlie foreshortenedflap 16e of FIG. 5 thereafter may be again folded along lines 17 and 1S toV develop the coniiguration seen in FIG. 6 wherein the ilap 16h is seen to be inserted interiorly of the container lil, i.e., between the front and rear Wallsll and 12, respectively. As such, the ap Kb of FIG. 6 may be repeatedly opened and closed to permit temporary access to the contents of the container 1li'.

The container itl may be constructed in a variety of fashions and one forni is illustratedv in FIG. 1 wherein a blank or diecut sheet is illustrated.. There the various fold lines and cut portions areV designated by numerals analogous to. those employed in. connection Ewith FIGS. 1-4. The blank itself is designated generally by thenunie'al 16a and is seen to include. a generally rectangular sheet;

Optimum results are achieved'when the; inventive container is constructed of paperboard having a thick-ness or caliber in the range 0.(ll'4-048 inch. Preferably, a cohesive type adhesive is employed, that is to sayyanadhesive that adheres primarily to itself, not to other surfaces, exemplary of this being latex4 rubber adhesives. The boxboard maybe any suitable board material such as clay-coated board, bleached manila, etc.A The weight or caliber of the board employed'isrdictated to a certain extent by the amount of Weight the carton must support when it is stacked. When the envelope of FIG. 8 is uti- Thus, the goods are maintained.

lized, it is desirable to have the paperboard rigid enough so that the closure flap may be printed and the envelopes stand up when stacked so that the printing can be readily seen. For the larger containers, such as are illustrated in FIGS. 2-6, heavier calipers of board are employed. The heavier caliper boards also permit the utilization of greater perforation or weakness. For example, when the forty point board is employed (a caliper of 0.64 inch) it is possible to employ perforations 1/32 long spaced apart by bonds 1/32 long. The thickness of the board thus insures `a satisfactory bond so that the portion carrying the adhesive 21 is not too readily detached from the flap itself. On the lighter caliper containers, I prefer to use perforations 1/1(; long with the intervening bonds being of the order of 1/16. On the very light envelope type containers, the perforations may be made even longer and spaced farther apart, as for example 'ls" long perforations spaced apart 1A. Here, however, it will be appreciated that other potential severance means may be employed such as scoring or other partial cutting.

Facilitating the detachment of the flap portion 23a which is equipped with the adhesive 21 are inwardly extending notches 24 (designated in FIGS. 1 3). The notches advantageously may be Vashaped witn the apices of the Vs determining the ends of the line of severance 2i).

In the fabrication of the packaging device seen in FIGS. 2 6, a fibrous sheet may be cut to the configuration indicated in FIG. l. In FIG. l, it will be noted that a portion of the bottom wall a has been illustrated in broken away condition so as to show the presence thereon of a band of ad-hesive 25. The adhesive 25 mates ywith a corresponding band of adhesive 26 provided on a flap portion 15b, the adhesives 25 and 26 preferably being the same as the adhesive bands 21 and 22. The side wall 14 of the container 10 is developed from flap or wall forming portions 14a and 14h. Again, a portion of the flap 14a is shown in broken away condition, as at 14C, to illustrate the fact that there is a band of adhesive 27 applied to the reverse or interior side of the Wall forming portion 14a. A corresponding band of adhesive 23 is provided on the ap 1417.

The blank 16a of FIG. 1 is also equipped with tab portions 29 and 30 which provide the side flaps correspondingly designated in FIG. 2. Also provided in the blank 19a is a detachable tab or inner ap designated 31. The tablike inner flap 31 is attached to tne upper edge of the front panel 11, as at 32, this numeral also designating a line of perforation for detachment of the tablike flap 31. The line of perforation 32 includes a circular portion in the center, as at 33, which, when the flap 31 is removed results in the contour designated 34 in FIG. 5. Prior to removal of the flap portion 23a, the ap 31 provides a desirable reinforcement for the main ap 16, urging the same upwardly and maintaining the flap portion 23 essentially flat or flush against the front face 11.

The inner flap or tab 31 may be left attached to front wall 11 following the initial opening of the container (rather than being torn away along perforation line 32) and may be folded outwardly to provi e a clear indication that the original seal of the container has been broken. As shown in FIG. 6, the tab 3'1 will not interfere Iwith the movement of ap l into its temporarily closed position. If the merchant, after removing part of the containers contents and closing the ap in the manner shown, places the container on a shelf or some other supporting surface, the outwardly projecting tab will serve as a ag to indicate that the particular container holds only a split quantity of materials. The smooth surfaces of the tab may be used to bear notations applied by the merchant concerning the quantity of materials remaining in the container,'or any other information concerning the package or its contents.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a modification is illustrated and will be described herein employing numerals like those employed in conjunction with FIGS. 1 6 but increased by 1GO. Thus, the numeral 1111 as applied to FIG. 8 designates generally the container, while the numeral 114m applied generally to FIG. 7 designates the blank from which the container 1113 is developed.

In FIG. 8, the openable Hap is designated by the numeral 116 and is seen to be joined along one edge thereof, as at 117, to the rear wall 112 of the envelope-type container 110. A second fold line 11S is provided and adjacent the free edge 119 of the flap 116, there is provided on the interior of the ap 116 a band of adhesive `1.21. Extending parallel to the free edge 119l is a line of performation 120; the ends of which are notched as at 124. The `fold lines or creases 117 can be conveniently provided during the step of fabricating the blank :1.

The front wall 111 of the envelope-type container 110 is made up of wall portions 111a and 111b (see FIG. 7). These flap portions are overlapped as at i111c (see FIG. 8). The bottom wall 115 is equipped with ladhesive as at 11551 which mates Iwith adhesive 1115i on the front panels 11161 and :111k respectively (partially seen in FIG. 8). The bottom wall 115 is equipped with parallel creases b which in combination with the creases 113a and 114:1 provided in the side walls 113 and 114, respectively, permit the development of an accordion-type envelope. The central of the three creases in the groups 113a, 114m and 115b, is reversely formed from the other 4two to yield the V configuration plainly seen in the upper portion of FIG. 8.

The operation of the device seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 corresponds to that previously referred to in connection with FIGS. 1-6. At the outset, the top flap 116 will be positioned in covering relation with the front Wall i111, the band of adhesive 121 mating with the band of adhesive 122 provided on the front =wall 111. At such time, the envelope-type container may be lled with parts for shipment-generally parts which will ultimately be retailed or dispensed sequentially and at different times, necessitating opening and closing of the container. Illustrative of this might be gaskets where a large variety of sizes would have to be stocked. Several samples of each size would have to be available and these could all be packaged in one container 110. A legend denoting this would be applied to the o-uter side of the flap 116 between the lines 117 and 118. When the container 110 is received at the site of retailing, the container 110 is opened merely by severing the flap 116 along the lineV 120. This leaves the portion 123a remaining over the front Wall 111 and in covering relation with the adhesive band 122. Thus, there is no exposed adhesive band on the front panel of the envelope. The container 110, in

this condition, permits access to the interior thereof for, the removal of an -article to be retailed. Thereafter, the Y now foreshortened ap is insertable between .the walls 111 and 112 (analogous to the fashion seen in FIG. 6).

In the form shown in FIGS. 7 andV 8, I have not illustrated the envelope equipped with a tab of the type described in connection with the rst embodiment as tab 31. also be provided along the envelopes front edge to serve as an indication of split quantities, as previously mentioned in describing the View of FIG. 6.

' While in the foregoing specification I have set forth a detailed description of embodiments of the invention, manyl variations in the details herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Y

. I claim:

A blank adapted to form a package, comprising an elongated exible fibrous sheet defining front and rear surfaces and equipped with a plurality of longitudinal and transverse fold lines defining rst and second generally rectangular face panels for said package and a side panel therebetween and foldably connected to said face panels,

It is to be understood, however, that such a tab may (a) said first face panel having at one end a flap equipped with a cohesive latex adhesive extending over the front surface of lsaid blank, said rst face panel having at the other end a weakness line detining a tear-off flap,

(b) said second face panel having at one end a ap twice the Width of said rst face flap and cooperable therewith to form a bottom end closure for said package, said second face panel flap being equipped with a stripe of cohesive latex adhesive along the iiap free edge and on the rear surface of said blank, said stripe being the width of said first face panel iiap and offset therefrom,

(c) said first face panel having a second side panel extending therefrom along the side opposite the side connected to the first-mentioned side panel, said second side panel having an adhesive extending over the front surface thereof,

(d) said second face panel having a second side panel extending therefrom along the side opposite the side connected to said rst-mentioned side panel, the lastmentioned second side panel having a width twice the width of the first-mentioned second side panel and equipped with a stripe of adhesive having a width of said first-mentioned second side panel and disposed Ialong the free edge thereof,

(e) said second face panel having at the other end a second flap adapted to provide a top end closure for said package, said second flap having a pair of spaced weakness lines extending parallel to the free edge of said second ap, the line closer to said second ap free edge being a line of potential severance while the other line is a fold line, the distance between said second face panel other end and said other line being equal to the width of said lirstmentioned side panel, the area of said second flap between the rst-mentioned line and said second flap free edge having a cohesive latex adhesive on the rear surface thereof,

(f) said first :face panel having a band of cohesive latex adhesive thereon adjacent and parallel to but spaced from the other end thereof, the spacing of said band from said rst Iface panel other end being equal to the distance between said lines, said band having a width equal to the width of the adhesive on said second flap, and

(g) tabs foldably projecting from the ends of said irst-rnentioned side panel and from the side panel associated with said second face panel, the tab extending from the one end of the side panel associated with said second face panel being equipped with cohesive latex adhesive on the front surface thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hayden May 27, 1930 Swift Mar. 23, 1937 Lindley Oct. l5, 1940 Guyer July l5, 1941 Williamson Mar. 29, 1949 Bergstein July 28, 1959 Normandin July 19, 1960 

